News Digest

U.S. Navy investigating soldier who claimed to have shot Bin Laden

The former U.S. Navy Seal who claims to be the soldier who fired the shots that killed Osama Bin Laden is being investigated for possibly leaking classified information, the U.S. military confirmed. U.S. Navy spokesman Ryan Perry said investigators were probing claims that Rob O’Neill had broken the law by disclosing details about the daring 2011 raid that ended a 10-year manhunt for Bin Laden.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is in receipt of an allegation that Mr O’Neill may have revealed classified information to persons not authorized to receive such information.

U.S. Navy spokesman Ryan Perry, in an email to AFP

O’Neill, 38, ignited a firestorm of controversy last month after coming forward to claim that he was the man who shot Bin Laden through the forehead at his hideout in Abbottabad three years ago. The highly decorated Montana native told The Washington Post that he was near the head of the column of U.S. soldiers that raided Bin Laden’s compound, adding that at least two other SEALs fired shots. However O’Neill’s decision to go public dismayed military brass and serving SEALS who maintain a fierce, Omerta-like code of silence. Another former Seal, Matt Bissonnette, who published his account of the raid, “No Easy Day” in 2012, took issue with O’Neill’s version of events.

Two different people telling two different stories for two different reasons. Whatever he says, he says. I don’t want to touch that.

Seal, Matt Bissonnette